Picket-Fence Christianity

McCracken writes, “Following Christ is not one’s golden ticket to a white-picket-fence American dream. It’s an invitation to die, to pick up a cross” (McCracken, Uncomfortable, 36). Similarly, C. S. Lewis writes, “I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity” (C.S. Lewis, “Answers to Questions on Christianity,” God in the Dock [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdm...